Our results are consistent with clinical studies showing that cancer cells with high levels of COL6A3 show a reduced response to platinum-based chemotherapy than tumours with low levels of COL6A3 (Bonaldo et al, 1998; Iyengar et al, 2005; Sherman-Baust et al, 2003; Varma et al, 2005). This evidence concerns the gene COL6A3 and cancer.